Staff to strike tomorrow at University of East Anglia over mass redundancy threat

UCU general secretary Jo Grady and president Justine Mercer will join UCU members on the picket line from 8am-11.30am at UEA's campus on Earlham Road.

The dispute is over cuts the university is forcing through because of its multi-million pound deficit. UEA staff under threat could receive redundancy notices as soon as next month. At a recent all-staff meeting in the arts and humanities department the vice-chancellor admitted that efforts to close the deficit have already led to 400 jobs being axed, accounting for over 10% of UEA's former workforce. UCU said those 400 job losses mean the university has already made the vast majority of savings it wants to, and sacking further staff is needlessly cruel. 

UCU regional official Lydia Richards said: 'Our members are on strike because they refuse to pay the price for a financial mess that management has created. The University of East Anglia has already axed the vast majority of staff it is seeking to get rid of. The continued threat of compulsory redundancy is needlessly cruel and management needs to work with us to avoid further job losses. If it refuses to do so, our members have said they are prepared to take further strike action. This could hit the crucial student induction period at the start of next term.'